Washing cylinder and door means therefor



June 13, 1933." UN BERG 1,913,764

WASHING CYLINDER AND DOOR MEANS THEREFOR Filed Feb. 24, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Mani I fig f/ZWW B. LINDBERG 1,913,764

WASHING CYLINDER AND DOOR MEANS THEREFOR Filed Feb. 24, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 2 June 13, 1 933.

i/// (4 I\ y 1' v I 1 V 5 A 1 I I, 4 /Z I I I j/I I A l l 2 I! 1- 1 /5 IJ5 I J y r 29 2a 7 J J 55 java/Z501" Patented June 13, 1933 UNITEDSTATES IBERNHARD LINDBERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS WASHINGGYLINDEB AN DDOOR MEAN S THEREFOR Application filed February 24, 1931. Serial No.517,716.

The present invention relates primarily to washing machine cylinders,including door means therefor, and has for its object to improve theconstruction thereof so as to make such machines more eflicient, easierto operate, and reduce to a minimum the danger of injury to or loss ofarticles placed in the same for treatment.

One of the chief difficulties encountered in machines of this kind is inmaintaining the cylinder doors sufficiently tight to prevent the workfrom washing out past them or bein caught and torn or otherwise damagedthere y. The principal object of my invention is to produce a door forthis purpose that V will be a good fit initially and will remain so evenafter long service.

It is desirable to provide an unloading shelf to bridge the .gap betweenthe cylinder and the casing while taking out the wet laundry, and oneobject of my invention is to produce a noveldevice for this purpose.

In carrying out my invention in its most complete form I hinge theunloading shelf to the cylinder and employ it as a holder to trolled bya single handle moun ed on the 7 door, whereby the door may beunfastened and opened and the unloading shelf be swung out through theoperation of a single handle. Not only do I thus obtain simplicity ofoperation, but the doors may be made as wide as the cylinders are long,or of any other desired width.

In wooden washing cylinder the ribs or longitudinal beams that connecttogether the cylinder heads frequently become loose and can only withdifficulty again be tightly secured to the heads so as to give thedesired rigidity to the cylinders. A further object of the presentinvention is to secure the ribs and the heads together-in a simple andnovel manner which will permit ready and easy tightening when necessary.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterizedwill hereinafter he pointed out with particularity 'in the claims; but,for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had tothe following detailed descriptiontaken in con nection with the accompanying drawings, wherein: v Figure 1is an elevation of a part of a washing machine cylinder, including thedoor and unloading shelf and fragments-of the cylinder immediatelyadjacent thereto; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2-of Fig. 1, the doorbeing shown closed in full lines and "m open in dotted lines, and afragment of the stationary casing being shown in dotted lines; Fig.3 isa section on line 3-3 of Fig.

2, on a somewhat larger scale; and'Fig. l is I I a section taken on line4.-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a cylinder that may be of anyusual or suitable construction. In the arrangement shown, it is a woodencylinder having heads 2 connected by longitudinal ribs or, beams 3 andhaving the usual slabs or staves 4 forming the periphery. The ribs areshown as 'being notched on the under side, as indicated at 5, to receivethe edges of the heads. The end of each rib is secured to the adjacenthead by a diagonal bolt 6 extending through the same in a plane at rightangles to the head; suitable washers 7 and 8 being placed underneath thenuts on the bolt. In case a joint becomes loose, the nuts are simplyscrewed up','ag'ain tightening the joint.

The cylinder is provided with the usual door opening bounded at the topand bottom by sills 9 and 10. This opening is adapted to be closed by adoor which, in the arrangement shown, is composed .of wooden staves 11properly secured; together. The door is 1 connected to. the sill 9 byany desired number of hinges. One leaf 12 of each hinge is secured tothe sill and to the body of the cylinder, whereas the other leaf 13 is along member extending entirely across the door from top to bottom. Eachof the leaves 13 may serve as a strap overlying the staves of which thebody of the door is made and cooperating with an underlying strap 14 tosecure the staves in the form of a door. In the arrangement shown, eachhinge leaf 13 and underlying strap are connected together by means ofb0lts'15 passing through the same and through the intervening staves. Tothe sill 9, and extending throughout the length thereof, is secured achannel-shaped metal member 16, or trough, in position to receive thelong edge of the upper stave when the door is closed. This stave fitssnugly in the trough, so that there is no possibility of producing anopening through which the laundry may be washed out past the upper edgeof the door. Furthermore, this direct interlock between the door and thesill insures against a looseness in the joint between i the door and thecylinder, at the hinged end, after wear takes place in the hinge joints.y

The upper side of the sill 10 is cut away to form a seat 17 upon whichthe free end of the door may rest when the door is closed. This seat islined with a metal strip 18, L-shaped in cross-section, on one flange ofwhich the door rests, while the other flange extends outwardly past thefree edge of the door. The door has on the under side a metal strip 19to engage with the flange of the member 18 on which the door rests, andthereby gives a metal-to-metal contact which will not wear sufficientlyto form a crack into which laundry may enter.

There is hinged to the lower sill 10 adjacent to the door opening, anunloading shelf 20. If this shelf is made of wood, it is preferablyfaced on the inner side with sheet metal, as indicated at 21. The partsare so proportioned that, after the door has been closed, the unloadingshelf may be swung inwardly into engagement therewith. At this time thesheet metal facing will engage with the hinge leaves 13, giving ametal-tometal contact between the door and the shelf. One leaf22 of eachof the hinges that support the shelf is fastened to the sill 10, whereasthe other leaf 23 extends across the top of the shelf and past the freelong edge in the form of a flange 24 that will engage with thecorresponding hinge leaf 13 on the door. The metal facing 21 is extendedacross the hinged edge of the shelf and then laterally in the form of alip 25 that underlies and engages with the corresponding stationaryhinge leaf 22 when the shelf is in its door-holding position. lVith thisarrangement, even though wear takes place in the joints of the unloadingshelf hinges, the hinged end of the shelf cannot move outwardlv when theshelf lies against the door,

because the lips 25 abut against the inner faces of the stationary hingeleaves 22 and prevent such outward movement.

When the shelf is locked in its door-holding position, the door issecurely held against its seat in the sill 10, byreason of the fact thatthe hinged side of the shelf engages With a solid abutment. Furthermore,since the shelf engages with the extreme end of the door near the hingeaxis of the shelf,

the lower end and containing a sliding dog or bolt 28 behind which is acompression spring 29. The bolt or dog has a wedge shaped outer end 30adapted to enter an opening in the flange 24 of the corresponding hingeleaf 23. The parts are so proportioned that, the door being closed, allof the dogs or bolts enter the corresponding openings in the edge of theunloading shelf when the latter is swung into position against the door.The openings in the flanges 24: are preferably narrower than thethickness of the base portions of the wedges, so'that, as the wedgeswear, the springs will force them farther into the openings and thusavoid the presence of lost motion.

All of the catches are released through the operation of a single rockshaft 32 extending cross the width of the door. In the arrangementshown, each casing or housing 27 has ears 33 rising from the topthereof, and the rock shaft extends through and is ournalled in theseears. The rock shaft is provided with a series of fixed radial fingers34, one for each catch. Each finger extends into an opening 35 in thecorresponding dog or b'olt whereby, when the rock shaft is turned, allof the dogs or bolts will be moved simultaneously. Therefore, byproviding the rock shaft with a handle at any convenient point, all ofthe catches may be released simultaneously and, further, after thecatches have been released, the door may be swung open by means of thissame handle. As the door opens, it pushes the unloading shelf outwardlyso as to cause it to position itself as a bridge across the gap betweenthe cylinder and the stationary casing indicated in dotted lines at A inFig. 2. In the arrangement shown, there is a single operating handle 36formed with one of the fingers 34 as an integral casting. However, itwill be understood that the handle may be placed anywhere, and thatthere may be more than one handle, if desired.

Attention should also be called to the fact that the hinge leaves 13 atthe. sides of the, door project beyond the ends of the staves, so

as to overlap portions ofthe cylinder, as best shown in Fig. 3. Thoseportions of the cylinder with which the hinge leaves thus engage arepreferably faced with metal strips 37 so V as to provide metal-to-metalcontact between the sides of the door and the cylinder, as well asbetween the long free edge of the door and the cylinder.

It will thus be seen that I have-produced a simple and novel doorconstruction in which there will always be tight joints between all ofthe edges of the door and' the cylinder, regardless of Whether thecylinder be of wood or metal; in which the door may be of any desiredWidth; in which one or many catches may bereleased simultaneously; inwhich thedoor may be opened by the same handle as that which releasesthe catches; in which an unloading shelf serves also as a door holder;and in which the unloading shelf is automatically swung out upon theopening of the door. It will also be seen that I have produced a noveland efiicient connection between the longitudinal ribs and the heads ofa washing machine cylinder, whereby any looseness occurring in thejoints between them may readily be taken up.

While I have. illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to theexact structural details thusmember being adapted to be swung down 4upon the door when the door is closed, and means to lock the said memberagainst swinging movement away from the door.

2. In combination, a receptacle having a .door opening, a door hinged tothe receptacle at one side of the opening and extending entirely acrossthe opening to the opposite side, a long, narrow member hinged atonelong edge to the receptacle at the latter side of the door opening andadapted to be swung down upon the door when the latter is closed, andmeans at the other long edge of said member to secure the same to thedoor.

3. The combination with a washing ma-' chine. cylinder having a dooropening, of a door extending entirely across the opening and hinged tothe cylinder at one side of the opening, an unloading shelf hinged tothe cylinder at the opposite side of the door opening and adapted to beswung down upon the door into a door-holding position when the door isclosed, and means to secure the unloading shelf in its door-holdingposition.

1. The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a dooropening, of a door extending entirely across the opening and hinged tothe cylinder at one side of the opening, anunloading shelf hinged to thecylinder at the opposite side of the door opening and adapted to beswung down upon the door into a door-holding position when the door isclosed, and catch devices between the side of the unloading shelfopposite the adapted to rest at its free end on the other sill whenclosed, of an unloading shelf hinged to the latter sill and adapted tobe swung inwardly upon and into'engagement with the adjacent marginalportion of'the door, and means to secure the unloading shelf to the doorat the long free edge of the shelf.

6. The combination with a cylinder having a door opening bounded atopposite edges by door sills, and a door hinged to one sill and adaptedto rest at its free end on the other sill when closed, of an unloadingshelf hinged to the latter sill close to the free end of the door whenthe latter is closed and adapted to be swung inwardly upon and intoengagement with the adjacent marginal portion of shelf.

7. The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a dooropening,'a sill at one side of the door opening, a door hinged to saidsill, of a metal trough on the sill in position to receive and "fitabout the edge of the door at the hinge side when the door is closed. Ic

8. The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a door,opening and a wooden door .hinged to one sill and adapted to rest at itsfree end on the other sill, of a metal trough secured to the sill towhich the door is hinged and positioned and shaped to receive andfitabout the adjacent edge of the door when the door is closed.

9. The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a door openingbounded on opposite sides by wooden sills and a wooden door hinged .toone sill and adapted to rest at its free end on the other sill, of ametal trough secured to the sill to which the door is hinged andpositioned and shaped to receive and fit about the adjacent edge ofbounded on opposite sides by wooden sills the door when the door isclosed, an angle carried by the door and by which the door piece ofmetal on the other sill forming a is opened to release the catches.

seat for the free end of the door, and a metal facing strip on the innerside of the door in position to engage and rest upon the said seat whenthe door is closed.

10, The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a dooropening and a door hinged thereto at one side of the opening and restingthereon, when closed, at the opposite side of the opening, of hingeleaves extending across the top of the door from the hinged edge to theopposite free edge, an unloading shelf hinged to the cylinder near thesaid free edge of the door when the latter is closed, said unloadingshelf being adapted to be swung inwardly to rest on said hinge leaves,and means to secure the shelf at its free edge to said ,hinge leaves.

11. The combination with a washing mar chine cylinder having a dooropening and a door hinged thereto at one side of the opening and adaptedto rest thereon at its free end on the opposite side of the opening, ofan unloading shelf at the latter side of the door opening, hinges eachof which has a leaf secured to the unloading shelf and a leaf secured tothe cylinder beside said opening, whereby the shelf is adapted to beswung into a position to overlie and engage with the door when thelatter is closed, and a metal piece on the shelf in position to extendunder and in contact with the'said hinge leaves on the cylinder when theshelf is swung inwardly. 1

12. In combination, a washing machine cylinder having a door opening, adoor extending entirely across the opening, hinges connecting one end ofthe .door to the cylinder at one side of the opening, the free end ofthe door resting on a part of the cylinder when closed, the hinge leaveson the door lying on top thereof and extending to the free end of thedoor, an unloadingshelf hinged to the cylinder adjacent to the free endof the door when the latter is closed, the shelf being adapted to beswung inwardly upon the closed door, the hinge leaves on the shelfextending across the same into positions which will cause them tocontact with the hinge leaves on the door when the door is closed andthe shelf swung inwardly, and catches between the hinge leaves on thedoor and those on the shelf.

13. The combination with a washing machine cylinder having a dooropening and a door hinged thereto and extending entirely across saidopening, of an unloading shelf hinged to the cylinder on the side of thedoor opening opposite that at which the door is hinged and adapted to beswung inwardly upon the door when the latter is closed, catches forsecuring the free end of the shelf to the door, and means including ahandle In testimony whereof, I sign this specification.

BERNHARD LINDBERG.

